Jewelry setting



y 4 F. J. GAERTNER 2.200.841

JEWELRY SETTING Filed July 13, 1939 INVENTOR KM ATTORNEY Patented May 14, 1940 UNITED STATES .PTENT OFFHE 5 Claims.

During many years, efforts have been made by jewelry manufacturers to produce gem settings which shall be both beautiful and practical, both in the manufacture of the settings and the mounting of the gem in the setting. The old Tiffany or prong solitaire setting has been widely modified to enhance the beauty of the setting and also to provide optical illusion of agem that is larger than the actual gem mounted in the setting. However, diificulty has arisen because such settings have sharp corners which make the article of jewelry bearing the setting uncomfort able to wear and also frequently result in injury to clothing by contact thereof with the sharp corners of the setting.

Therefore, a prime object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved jewelry and method of making it, whereby the disadvantages of the known settings shall be overcome, and a setting shall be produced which shall be beautiful, practical to manufacture and enable easy setting of a gem.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved setting of the general character described which shall have no sharp corners and wherein the gem shall be firmly and at the same time aesthetically mounted in such a manner that the gem shall appear to be larger than it actually is.

Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will appear from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which Figure l is a top plan view of a jewelry setting embodying my invention, a gem being illustrated by dot and dash lines.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the setting.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the setting.

Figure l is a side elevational view of the setting.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View on an enlarged scale, taken on the line B--6 of Figure 1, and

Figure '7 is a detached perspective view of the gem mounting section of the setting.

Specifically describing the invention, the setting includes a body A which has an opening 4 in its bottom and a plurality, preferably four, upstanding corner posts 2 that are free from each other at the top of the setting and connected together at their lower ends by walls 8 and 9. Preferably these posts have rounded upper ends and are arranged in rectangular relation, that is, one post disposed at each corner of an imaginary rectangle, for example a square as shown in Figure 1. However, it is desirable that the bottom of the body be elongate rectangular as shown in Figure 2, for a purpose to be described.

Within the posts 2 and supported thereby, is a gem mounting section B that is shown as comprising a ring or annulus 3 of approximately circular cross section and carrying a plurality of pairs of upstanding mounting pins 4 that project from the top side of the ring, there being one pair of pins for each post 2 and the pins of each pair being disposed at opposite sides of and in closerelation to the corresponding post. The upper ends of the pins have seats 5 to receive the girdle C of the gem D in known manner. Th ring 3 of the mounting section is provided in its outer edge and between the pins of each pair with notches 6, one to embrace and receive each post 2, the general plane of the ring 3', and the seats 5, being below the general plane of the upper ends of the posts 2.

The ring 3 of the mounting section is preferably of an exterior diameter somewhat greater than the diameter of the girdle of the gem, as shown in Figure 1 where the gem is shown by light dot and dash lines, and the pins 4 are so related to the ring 3 that the gem is mounted centrally of or coaxially with the ring with the outer portions of the ring visible beyond the girdle of the gem when the gem is mounted and viewed from its top. The top curved surface of the ring 3 is highly polished and serves as a reflecting surface for the facets of the gem,

whereby said portion of the ring when the set- 1 be secured in the mounting section B before or after the mounting section is secured in the main section A. After the gem has been placed on the seats 5 of the pins 4, the upper ends of the pins are burnished over the top of the gem above the girdle and rounded as usual and as shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing.

The mounting section is slid coaxially of the main section A or longitudinally of the posts 2, into the main section, with one of the posts 2 fitted into each of the notches E, whereupon the ring is soldered to the posts at the points of contact of the ring 3 with the posts 2, as clearly shown in Figure 6. As shown, the girdle of the gem will be of such diameter as to be slightly spaced from the inner surfaces of the posts 2.

The side walls of the main section or body A of the setting are cut away at 1 below the mounting ring 3 to permit entry of light beneath the pavilion of the gem so as to enhance reflection of light from and brilliancy of the gem in the usual manner. As shown, (see Figures 2 and 5), the junctures of the cut-away portions 1 with the respective posts 2 provide upwardly facing shoulders :to serve as seats for and to position said mounting section in the main section.

As shown in Figure 2 two opposite ends 8 of the lower portion of the body A are wider than the front and rear sides 9 to permit the use of finger ring shanks E of a large variety of'widths, especially wide shanks, and at :thesame time provide an attractive stream-line appearance at the front and rear sides of the settings. Compare Figures 3 and 4. With this construction, the, top of the setting is approximately square in plan, While the bottom of the body is oblong rectangular, and the centers of the square and oblong rectangle are collinear or lie in the same straight line, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Also, with this construction, it will be observed that the gem may be easily mounted in the setting and the eight mounting pins securely holdthe gem in the setting. The four posts 2 .arrt asbufiers to protect both the gem and the mounting section B, and the mounting ring 3 serves as a stron tying reenforcement for the posts. The setting is highly aesthetic and devoid of wskarp comers so as to minimize annoyeneeto the wearer.

Having thus described my invention, what I v claim is:

1. A jewelry setting including a body section having a plurality of spaced upstanding posts with free upper ends, and a separate mounting section including an annulus seated within and secured upon said posts with its general plane below the plane of the upper ends of said posts, and a plurality of mounting pins projecting upwardly from said annulus between said :posts to receive and hold .a. gem.

2. The jewelry setting forth in claim 1 where- I in said annulus has a plurality of notches in its outer perimeter each to partially embrace one of .said'posts.

3,. The jewelry setting set forth in claim 1 wherein said main section has upwardly facing shoulders iormingseats for and to position said mounting section in the main section. 4. The jewelry setting set forth in claim 1 wherein the posts are disposed at the comes of an ima inary rectangle, and there are apl-urality girdle or a. gem disposed above said annulus. and 7 below the plane or the upper ends of said posts to supports. gem with its girdle spaced from the annulus and inside said posts, said posts serving as buffers to protect sa-id pins and a zgemset therein.

FREDERIGK vJ. 

